1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to insulating apparatus for reducing the flow of heat through a surface area. The invention relates more particularly to an improved apparatus for insulating and sealing surface areas through which there is a substantial heat loss.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Substantial heat can flow through various surface areas of structures. This is particularly true with exterior walls having glazed areas such as are normally found with windows and doors. The heat flow can be substantial even when a double glazed thermal-pane type of apparatus is utilized. An undesired flow of heat can also occur through and around various interior wall surfaces as a result of interior air currents. The net result is a loss of thermal energy from a heated structure, an increased loading on cooling equipment for an air-conditioned structure and an undesirable flow of interior currents which can be cool in winter and warm in summer. In view of present day energy costs, it is of course desirable to reduce the flow of heat through such areas. A relatively simple placement of insulating material adjacent the surface of relatively high heat transfer areas is generally insufficient since draft currents flow about the insulating material. While, the effectiveness of such simply placed insulation can be enhanced by sealing the area against draft currents, nonetheless many such surfaces to be insulated, such as windows and glazed doors, require access for viewing and cleaning. A sealed, permanent installation of insulating material would be unacceptable. Moreover, it is also desirable at times for shading and privacy purposes to only partially shade the area to be insulated and a permanently sealed insulation would not satisfy this need.
Other limitations and interferences can also hinder a placement of insulating material. For example, the dimensions of the framework of a glazed area may be susceptible to placement of an insulating arrangement within the framework but not on its exterior surfaces, or, vice versa, and specialized installations may be required for each alternative. Furthermore, glazed areas generally have decorative treatments utilizing curtains and valances and these can interfere with the placement of insulating materials which could effectively insulate and seal the glazed area.
Prior arrangements which have attempted to effect the insulation of such areas while satisfying one or more of the foregoing needs have failed in some respects in that they have not fully sealed the area to be heated; they have been relatively complex, expensive, unreliable and limited in adaptability for positioning within and without the windowframe; and they have been incompatible with existing window treatments.